Last Saturday three of us went up to visit the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto. We chose to visit the market for a number of reasons:
1) Its proximity to Buffalo 2) The building that hosts the market is very similar to Buffalo’s DL&W Train Terminal 3) It’s an incredibly vibrant experience
We were excited to talk to some of the vendors within the market, and we brought along our cameras to show just how similar the interior was to the empty shell (DL&W) on the Buffalo River. The St. Lawrence Market is comprised of approximately 90% food-related items, and we indulged ourselves to taste-test many of the varieties of offerings that were available. The food vendors that we spoke with raved about the market for obvious reasons… the place was packed. We also made it a point to talk to a few of the artists and musicians who filled in the gaps between food vendors. One photographer told us that he ‘cracked his nut’ (paid off his designated space) each week in just a couple of hours. “Saturdays are so busy that by noon I have paid for my booth for the rest of the week. Everything after that is gravy. I spent my life going from show to show… now I have the ability to depend on one market to make a living.”
The proposed market along the Buffalo River would have a heavy concentration of artists and merchandise dealers, thus bringing a bazaar-style flavor to the market. We are also proposing an atmosphere where families will want to spend time browsing, or relaxing, or just sitting along the river under a market umbrella. Have you ever seen the Erie Basin Marina on a weekend? It’s full of activity – there are already hundreds of people visiting that part of the city, and they’re looking for more things to do. Everyone always complains about not having enough places to visit when boating, or biking… or even taking the Metro Rail. A diverse market in the core of the city would become a destination.
One of the sticking points that we have been hearing is that the Buffalo River Market might take away business from other markets around town. This market would have some food aspects, but there would be much more than food to keep visitors occupied. We have also heard that there are not enough people to support it. I have spoken with a good number of local artists and business people who have told me, “If you can get hundreds of people to see what I can do, then I’m all for it.” I believe that the beauty of the market will be its ability to draw people from outside the area into the city. It will also offer a space for people to congregate along the waterfront. We have had requests for information from bookstores, restaurants, wine bars, coffee shops, antique dealers, artists, performers, and ice cream vendors. And that’s without even putting the word on the street that we were looking.
This past Tuesday the Common Council unanimously passed a bill supporting the market, thanks to supporters like Paul Wolf and Joe Golombek. The market committee has grown to include 50 plus people who have expressed an interest in the waterfront market. The group will be reconvening this Saturday at noon to discuss further steps towards making the market a reality.
Thanks to RoBear and Guelph for their input.